asked the Minister for the Environment whether the Government have any proposals to replace or amend the Fire Brigades Act, 1940; and, if so, the intent of such proposals and the stage they have reached.
11.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Fire Services.
10.
asked the Minister for the Environment the proposals the Government have to implement the suggestions contained in the report on the fire services, 1975.
I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 10 and 11 together.
As regards the report on the fire services which was published in July 1975, I would remind the Deputy that it comprised a majority and five minority reports, and that there were differences between the different reports on imporant issues in the area of personnel matters, including recruitment and reporting relationships. While every effort has been and is being made to secure acceptable solutions on such issues through the relevant conciliation machinery, difficulties arising from conflicts between the different staff interests and aspirations have been encountered and have prevented the attainment of the progress sought. But the matters will continue to be actively pursued through the conciliation machinery under which local authority personnel issues are dealt with.
As regards the other recommendations in the majority report, action has also been taken on virtually all of them. For example, arrangements were made in September 1976 for the carrying out by local authorities of the local reviews of the fire service as recommended in the report. Capital investment in the fire service was significantly increased in 1978 and has been maintained at a high level since. I recently announced the introduction of a 50 per cent subsidy on fire service capital investment. The Fire Prevention Council were established in July 1978 to promote fire safety. The central training programme has been considerably expanded to supplement local training and special attention has been given to breathing apparatus courses. Guidelines were issued in 1977 for planning of retained fire stations and in 1980 for recruit training. A pilot study on fire service telecommunications was completed last year and action has been initiated with a view to implementing the improvements it recommended. Work is well advanced on the preparation of a number of other guidelines.
One of the main recommendations of the report suggested that the fire-fighting provisions of the Fire Brigades Act, 1940 should be reviewed. Various other recommendations also involved amendment of the law, including a number of those concerned with fire prevention. Preparation of proposals for new fire service legislation has been proceeding for some time and I am glad to say that the general scheme of a Bill was recently approved by the Government and work on drafting it is now under way. While I cannot give details of the Bill at this stage, the recommendations of the report have been taken into account in its preparation.
Is this the same Bill that the Minister referred to in reply to Question No. 9?
Yes.
And it will be circulated within a month?
Yes.
In the course of his reply the Minister referred to courses in the use of breathing apparatus and also referred to retained stations. Can the Minister state what steps, if any, he has taken to have courses in the use of breathing apparatus made available for the personnel in the retained stations in County Dublin as well as courses in the use of breathing apparatus for certain of the full-time personnel in the Dublin city fire service?
There seems to be some misunderstanding about this question and some view that there is in some way a hold-up in the Department with regard to the training in the breathing apparatus. This is not so. There was a recommendation in 1976, which was eventually cleared in 1978, and there is no outstanding sanction requested by Dublin corporation in my Department. I accept that there is some disagreement between Dublin Corporation and the county council. This is something I would like to see sorted out and I agree with the Deputy that it needs to be sorted out. There is no hold up in my Department with regard to this question.
I asked what steps the Minister was going to take to have the part-time firemen in the retained stations of Swords, Balbriggan, Skerries and Malahide trained in the use of breathing apparatus and also, in relation to some of the full-time firemen in the Dublin City service, whom I understand have not been trained in the use of breathing apparatus, to have breathing apparatus courses made available to them? What steps does the Minister intend taking to have this carried out? The Minister should not blame somebody else? Will he say what he intends to do?
This is a matter between Dublin Corporation and the county council, I trust they are aware of my concern in this area and that they will come to an amicable agreement and have the training carried out. As far as questions of training and other areas of some concern to the fireman in the Dublin region are concerned, I have agreed to meet a deputation of the firemen and I will meet them next week.
The firemen have not been trained in the use of breathing apparatus.
12.
asked the Minister for the Environment the numbers of (a) technical and (b) administrative personnel in his Department who were assigned on a full-time basis to the area of fire prevention and fire fighting on 31st January, 1981; and whether any of these posts were vacant at that date.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the Fire Services Section of my Department is as follows — four technical, three administrative, six executive and three clerical staff were specifically assigned on a full-time basis. One technical officer was absent on 31 January 1981 while attending a post-graduate MSc degree course in Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to the foregoing, staff in other sections of my Department are engaged part-time on work relating to fire safety. For example, staff in the personnel area have overall responsibility for personnel aspects of the fire service; staff in the housing and planning areas have an input on such matters as building regulations, and technical officers have appropriate responsibilities on relevant engineering, architectural and planning aspects of fire safety.
Could the Minister say if one of the technical officers referred to in his reply has any responsibility for ensuring that firemen in the service throughout the country are properly trained in the use of all necessary equipment?
As I said the technical officers have appropriate responsibilities on relevant engineering, architectural and planning aspects of fire safety.
Have the technical officers in the Minister's Department any responsibility to ensure that the firemen are able to fight fires?
The responsibility is at a local level in the fire authority, the sanitary authority. My Department co-operate fully with the local authorities in maintaining an adequate fire service throughout the country.
Can the Minister ensure that if men in a certain service have not been trained in the use of certain apparatus that that training is immediately made available to them? Can the Minister's Department not ensure that?
If such an item comes to the notice of the Department immediate action is taken by the Department in communicating with the local authorities.
(Interruptions.)